Joseph F. Schmidt - Praying Our Experiences: An Invitation to Open Our Lives to God

Praying Our
Experiences

An
Invitation
to Open
Our Lives
to God

JOSEPH F. SCHMIDT, FSC

Foreword by
BENEDICT J. GROESCHEL, CFR

An
Invitation
to Open
Our Lives
to God

JOSEPH F. SCHMIDT, FSC

Copyright 2008 De La Salle Christian Brothers

All rights reserved.

A revised and expanded edition of Praying Our Experiences, originally

published in 1980 by St. Marys Press.

The Word Among Us Press

7115 Guilford Drive

Frederick, Maryland 21704

www.wau.org

12 11 10 09 08 1 2 3 4 5

ISBN: 978-1-59325-116-1

eISBN: 978-1-59325-419-3

Cover design by Laura Steur-Alvarez

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture texts used in this work are taken from the Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright 1965 and 1966; and the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright 1989, 1993, both by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America.
All rights reserved. Used with permission.

Scripture citations from the New Jerusalem Bible, copyright 1985 by Darton, Longman, & Todd, Ltd., and Doubleday, a division of Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, Inc. Reprinted by permission.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other, except for brief quotations in printed reviewswithout the prior permission of the author and publisher.
Made and printed in the United States of America.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Schmidt, Joseph F.

Praying our experiences : an invitation to open our lives to God / Joseph F.

Schmidt. -- [Updated & expanded ed.].

p. cm.

ISBN 978-1-59325-116-1 (alk. paper)

1. Prayer. I. Title.

BV215.S355 2008

248.32--dc22

2007051881

Other books by Joseph F. Schmidt, FSC
Praying with Thrse of Lisieux
Everything Is Grace: The Life and Way of Thrse of Lisieux

by Fr. Benedict J. Groeschel, CFR

Real prayer is a total experience, bringing together all the strands of our lives. Brother Joseph Schmidt thoughtfully and sensitively describes many of these different strands, ranging from Gods word coming to us in the Scriptures to our own willingness to grow beyond our selfishness to maturity. By focusing on praying our experiences, he wisely interprets our many inner personal experiences as prayer, or at least as the stuff from which serious prayer is made.

This book is intended, on the one hand, for those who are just beginning to take the personal experience of prayer seriously. And, on the other hand, it is intended for those already traveling on the road of prayer and who now need to reexamine their prayer life and its individual components with the goal of growing still more in prayer. Of course, all true prayer must be guided and inspired by the Holy Spirit, but in prayer and in many other things, God helps those who help themselves.

This book explores the road of telling our story to God, suggesting that we pray with our life experiences in mind. This way of prayer is best illustrated by the Confessions of St. Augustine and the autobiographies of the two great Carmelite Church doctors, Teresa of vila and Thrse of Lisieux.

Praying Our Experiences: An Invitation to Open Our Lives to God is a newly revised and expanded version of a book that has been in print for over a quarter of a century, through three editions and 100,000 copies. It has been used in classrooms, retreat centers, spiritual direction institutes, twelve-step programs, evangelization sessions, and formation and catechetical classes. When this book originally appeared, many different types of prayer were being written about and practiced. They ranged from charismatic prayer to centering prayer. The strength and usefulness of this book are due to its concentrated focus on the simple gospel truth that our need for prayer comes from the heartthat is, from the center of the persons beingand is founded in our life experiences. The heart, of course, is a symbol of the center of all our desires, hopes, needs, intelligent ideas, and character strengths. They all come together in the light of grace.

Whatever purifies our heart and strengthens its influence in the activities of life is a help to real prayer. This fact makes the serious desire to live and pray from the experiences that touch our heart all the more essential for a life of real prayer. As we become genuinely more prayerful, prayer will direct our lives, and we will not have to struggle consciously to lift our hearts to God. Our heart will surge to God, as St. Thrse assures us, and will carry the deepest sentiments of our lived experiences. St. Paul expresses this so well: It is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me (Galatians 2:20). Even in times of temptation, trial, failure, or spiritual aridity, God will be there in prayer, and the Son of God will shepherd us.

Following the teaching of St. John Baptist de La Salle, founder of the Brothers of the Christian Schools, the congregation to which he belongs, the author includes an important consideration about the relationship between prayer and the ministry of good works. This discussion of the spirituality of ministry is very worthwhile. While we have layers of motivation in doing good, ranging from self-centeredness to altruism, it would be unwise to try to limit our activities to those that seem purely altruistic. That is not the road of spiritual development and growth. We would do well to follow the advice of Thrse and Teresa of vila, who suggest that self-knowledge that arises as we actually do good works is integral to prayer. Helpful, too, is the pointed directive of the Christian Brothers founder to examine before God how you are acting in your ministry and whether you are failing in any of your responsibilities. Come to know yourself just as you are... so that when Jesus Christ comes to judge you, you may be able to face His judgment without being afraid.

In the not very distant past, when large numbers of people became interested in contemplative prayer, apostolic activity was seen by some almost as a necessary evil and a distraction. Then we moved into a time of extreme activity, when prayer was thought to be a form of self-indulgence and self-preoccupation. Praying our experiences helps us to achieve a necessary balance and integration.

It is certainly hoped that we will get the balance right, as a new interest in both prayer and good works is observable in the John Paul II generation, that group of young adults who are among those who will continue to revitalize the church. With solid religious education, especially in the area of prayer as personal relationship with God founded in their lived experiences, they will find a way to blend activity with prayer. Whether they are seriously practicing Catholic laity or, in growing numbers, sincere and integrated candidates for religious life or the priesthood, all agree that work and prayer go together. Working with many young Catholics at the present time, I realize that the very points the author brings out in focusing on praying our experiences are well attuned to the spiritual needs of the young at this time.

No matter how old we are or where we find ourselveswhether new on the religious scene or a veteran of the battles of recent decadesthe insights in this book will be helpful in our life of prayer.